Sunday, April 27, 2008

Back in August 2005 I wrote here about 'Poona Company' a novel byFarrukh Dhondy, the author/screenwriter and catalyst for projects like'Salaam Bombay' by Mira Nair. Mr. Dhondy, like myself, attendedThe Bishops' School in Pune, albeit a few years before I did.Still, the overall mood and pace of those schoolboy days he mentionswere evident even as late as 1967 when I passed the ISC Exams.I never was able to read let alone get a copy of the book, which seemsto be unavailable even at Amazon.com. But in true Bishops' School spirit,an ex-Bishopite in Germany named Rolf sent in scans of the cover pic(above) and the first part of the book (below) as a teaser/consolation.(Rolf, I cannot thank you enough for all the updates and photos !)

Fortunately the Poona story hasn't died with the unavailability of the novel.The brilliant folks at Endboard in the U.K. have a fine sense for unusual,personal stories and are now in collaboration with Mr. Dhondy as they havegained the necessary momentum for a film version of the novel....how totallyawesome will that be ! An international release for a movie about my oldhometown AND school....stay tuned.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

It's the last hour of Earth Day 2008....I'm in the throes of creating a poster for entry into a competition being runby one of the top retail drug stores in the USA. That doesn't give me enoughtime to cook up something for this blog as regularly as I would like.Hopefully I'll be done with the graphic work in a couple of days....in themeantime I'm involved in researching contemporary advertising, sort ofa self-inflicted intensive Refresher Course. Problem is, there's so much ofinteresting stuff to research online that I often get sidetracked. I believe theycall it the attack of The YouTube Clones. But how (and why ?) to resistfrequent, quick doses of good humor like Germany's Otto Shopping Catalogue

or the Mafia-themedNew York Pizza in the Netherlands ?ADULT CONTENT ADVISORY :Do not view the rest of this unless you are an Adult NOT offendedby the language used in movies like Scarface, The Godfather, etc.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Never been to a Dollar Store ? I have, and not justbecause I've been down on my luck financially. Dollar storesoften are just where you need to go when your regularstores are closed or out of stock on a standard household item.They offer one-stop shopping, convenience and basic value ina crunch. Like if you need to get that tube of travel-sizetoothpaste or shampoo for your overnight stay in another state.From Gift Wrap and Ribbons to rolls of Toliet paper and film,paper plates or coffee filters, your immediate needs will be met.Yes, there are many items that fall into the 'questionable quality'category, invariably 'Made in China'.......but those don't involve food items, which are of domesticorigin.

I came across this ABC news clip which explores the possibility ofusing the very same Dollar Store items to produce a Gourmetmeal.... so to speak. They got one of the top Chefs from theFood Network and went shopping for the Dollar items, and thenshowed the results on Good Morning America. The shoppingbill for the entire Dollar store meal came to $25 plus change, andthe taste test turned out to be pretty good.

When you consider the $112 tab for shopping for similar ingredientselsewhere, there's something to be said for alternative sources like thisduring the current US recession.

Of course, all this is not advisable as a daily alternative.No "Don't try this at home" warnings here, just a healthy reminderto try and utilize only the freshest ingredients whenever possible !

Sunday, April 13, 2008

I have always loved and respected the Berlitz' School's fun approach toimparting instruction but their latest incarnation caught me off-guard.Gone are the days of Berlitz' boxed cassettes accompanied by littlevolumes of useful phrases. With the internet, an entire source ofworld languages is at everyone's fingertips. The introduction tothis new world of learning is in now in the form of quick commercialsmore associated with the style of viral videos than higher learningavenues.

I certainly wasn't expecting Silicone,

a Toupee,

or a Tranny

to be the focal points of the online school promos. Those Europeansdid a great job, and it's too bad these funny spots will never see theight of day on American TV broadcasts under the watchful eyesof the FCC. And just to set the record straight, Mr. Berlitz the founderof this method of learning, immigrated to the U.S. from Germany:Berlitz headquarters are in Princeton. New Jersey.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

And what results is The India Street, another potent mix, aimed this time atproviding investment insights with a different slant.

Take All India All Money. Like Bollywood films, the makers of these videospresent their programs in an ever- campy style. This is a take-off onCNN's Money Honeyswith an Indian (and therefore slightly toned-down)'Girls Gone Wild' feel. As you may have figured out by now, it's 'all tease,all the time' in this arena.

High on India's booming economy and skyrocketing salaries, female anchorsand reporters keep their viewers perpetually drooling through sexual innenduoes ,wiggling hips and flashes of cleavage, MTV-style. And that's just what they areproviding : info for the MTV Generation who are now the faces of the newIndian Economy. Plenty of laughs here but in the final analysis it's all aboutthe 'Bottom Line'. Oops ! Did I just say 'Bottom' ?Here's The Rising Rupee Trick: